1 : utterly finished, defeated, or destroyed Their marriage is kaput. 2 : unable to function The refrigerator is kaput. —often used with go The engine suddenly went kaput.

Can kaput mean dead?

Something that's kaput is broken, dead, or worthless. When your old car is finally kaput, it's not even worth fixing.

What language is kaput in?

The German word kaputt ("destroyed"), from which derives the English colloquialism 'kaput' or 'caput,' meaning done, or finished, is not related to this word. The origin of the German word, and consequently the English words, is a borrowing from the French: être capot, lit. 'to be bonnet' or fig. 'to be defeated'.